Monday, November 2, 2009

Irrepressible Yoani

Belonging to no organization and receiving no U.S. government funds, blogger Yoani Sanchez has created a platform of her own that she uses to question government authority, quite directly.

Two weeks ago, Yoani posted a video of her argument with an immigration officer when her request for permission to travel abroad was denied.

Now at Huffington Post, she explains how she disguised herself with a blond wig to gain entry to a conference on the Internet in Cuba organized by the magazine Temas.Attendees were screened, and some were blocked at the door.A short video with excerpts of the conference is included, including her intervention, which was not interrupted and was received with applause.

The magazine’s editor, Rafael Hernandez, criticized Internet commentary on Cuba in a recent visit to the United States.Her response to Hernandez was that if he views independent Cuban blogs as trashy, then let’s have more of them.

19 comments:

Anonymous
said...

In the meantime back in the ranch... apparently there is a confrontation going on outside Vladimiro Roca's home between some dissidents inside who are being laid siege by a Brigade of Rapid Action (sort of a Cuban brown shirt contingent). The dissidents claim that there has been phyisical agression (one broken head, Marta Beatriz Roque claims a broken finger). There is a banner hanging from the VR's home declaring it "Casa de la Libertad" (House of Freedom). This has been reported by Agence France Presse.

On the subject of bloggers Claudia Cadelo (http://www.octavocerco.blogspot.com/) should not be overlooked. She got this year's prize for best Cuban independent blogger. While Yoani Sanchez is a little more political, Claudia is more of the Sargeant Friday of Cuba's independent bloggers. (Just the facts!). She is the wife/girlfriend/friend (?) of Ciro Díaz (from Porno para Ricardo) who has a punk rocker sense of humor. (Who would have thought that Dada was alive and well in revolutionary Cuba?)

A small detail. But once again Yoani has set up a straw man or straw argument that does not exist. Temas' editor Rafael Hernandez did not call Yoani or Yoani's blog "ciber-chancleteo" or "cyber-trash." He said, while there are good examples of debate on the Cuban internet, too much is consumed with trash talk. The only thing he said specifically about Yoani's blog is that it is more consumed with catharsis than debate. I don't think anyone can argue with that, including Yoani. So she took on the straw man charge of being trash instead. Much the better for her goal of martyrdom.

There is video of some independent bloggers being excluded from the Temas seminar on the Internet in Cuba. So her and others questions about why the exclusion from the Temas seminar that was supposed to be an open forum stand?

BTW Penultimos Dias has published some commentaries by those who questioned Rafael Hernandez' very provocative term. It is interesting when Cuban revolutionaries take refuge behind petit bourgeouis sensibilities to defend the Cuban status quo. They give the impressions of privileged children going slumming. Unfortunately these children happend to be in their 50s or older decades.

Vecino, seems as how you did not address my points, I assume they can stand? Ie. that Yoani (again) tried to claim a false mantle of martyrdom by appropriating this phrase (chancleteo) as directed at her.

As for the video of her friends being excluded from the Temas event, I will watch when I get home. But I will say it is not at all uncommon for cultural/intellectual events like this (with very limited seating) to retain some discretion about whom is allowed in - particularly organized groups with an hostile agenda...

I also do not know enough about the history and usage of the word "chancleteo" to comment on its meaning in Cuban contempory life.

Combing across the Temas site (and registering for an on-line subscribtion), I found this interesting piece on human rights in Cuba. A bunch of Cuban lawyers and Profesors address things like the right to travel, freedom of expression and racial equality.

We agree. Yoani picks the points that she wants to debate. It appears that she felt attacked by the term chantecleo. In Cuba it refers to the fact that the poorest could not afford shoes so they had to wear flip flops (chanteclas). Bad manners were supposed to accompany poor footwear. It was a way for the lower middle class to look down at the lower classes. Not nice, and in a sense makes the snooty ones the real trashy ones!

One thing that you do not address is why Yoani's activities have the potential of making her a martyr. Is it because publishing points of view that disagree with the Cuban government is asking to be punished?

You both make me sick. Leftside is a self-proclaimed communist that is resolute in espousing the communist party line, and eschewing all opposing facts concerning the overriding principles of the communist Revolucion. Ostensible contradictions within the party line have yet to repress his political views or visions. This is typical.

As for Vecino, his primary purpose within this blog is to challenge Leftside's dick-stiff political convictions and committments, in a very civilized and verbally wholesome fashion, in hopes that Leftside's views will be, one day, magically altered. Vecino, let me tell you something: The chances of you engendering a dramatic political shift in the mind of Leftside are the same chances that he will engender change in your rigid perceptions of a free enterpise system of government, in the U.S. or Cuba. But Leftside actually knows better; he's not trying to convince anyone but himself.

I have fought in two wars against guerilla communist sects. They make capitalists look like saints; they are some of the most truculent, uprooted, disillusioned and yet indomitable culture of people I have ever run across. These are things you will have to learn on your own Vecino, I suppose.

Lefty, you are slipping. OF COURSE that vicious Yoanis "blogger" is a CIA plant, as everyone knows! Why else would the many articles detailing her treason on sites such as kaosenlared and rebelion.org decorate articles on her with the logo of the CIA!?

I wouldn't be surprised if much of the street crime in Havana is committed by that musclebound bruiser Yoanis, when she is wearing one of her CIA-supplied disguises to prowl the streets in search of innocent Party militantes!

And let's not forget the impressive putdown administered to Y. Sanchez at the Fresa y Chocolate meeting. Elizalde pointed out that Sanchez is a countryless traitor. And most crushing of all, Elizalde noted that *all* patriotic Cuban bloggers host their blogs on Cuban servers! By her choice of a foreign-based (and CIA funded!) server, what better proof exists that "Yoanis" is a traitor?

It is high time serious action is taken, to prevent that brutish Sanchez from being dealt with in an exemplary manner by the enraged revolutionary Masses!

You seem to miss the point of a debate. The debaters do not aim to change each other's points of view but rather they aim to influence the audience point of view. Although the rhetoric appears to be aimed at each other, in reality it is aimed at the audience. Now if I change Leftside's mind in the process, may the Lord be blessed for miracles!

Your involvement in counterinsurgency efforts should have taught you a basic lesson: Counterinsurgency is only succesful when the people support your efforts and in that so called psy-war ops are far more important than body counts. Or did you miss that training session, were left out of it?

For the rest, if reading Leftside and my comments make your sick, I would strongly suggest you do not read them. Leftside heads his, and I sign mine.

Counterinsurgency is a miniscule practice in Cuba. The majority of the masses do not support our efforts to combat the flawed Revolutionary rhetoric. There are those like Yoani, but not nearly enough to foment a counter-revolution. Fifty-plus years of the current communist regime serve as irrevocable fact that counter-revolutionists are outnumbered, just as I was years ago. As for the intrepid few, may they rise above the flames that surround the grave Island of Doctor Fidel.

Vecino, the power to overthrow oppression only lies from within, that is unless a foreign power wishes to infiltrate (and that power must be great in merit and fortune). Though unfamiliar to the Cuban masses, freedom can only be earned; it is not a privilege like in America. This blog and its myriad of debates will have little to no effect upon the fate of Cuban independence. Believe what you wish, but most write to alleviate the ill-workings of a less fortunate and indelible past.

Sean Penn's Marxist-Leninist films in Venezuela and Cuba will have greater political clout in U.S.-Cuban affairs than your opinions produced on this blog. It is sad but true. I wish it were untrue.

And, yes, blogging is quite the cathartic exercise. Like I said, I "write to alleviate the ill-workings of a less fortunate and indelible past." (I'm talking about Cuba, the tragic island your family fled from when you were just a wee boy.)

Cruz wrote: "Wow, the communist sympathizers on this blog are astounding in mumber and sadly misguided animals..."

Many of the posts here are satirical parodies of Leftside, our resident raving loonie. The exclamation points, italics and delusional outrage (expressed in *CAPS!*) are a dead giveaway to parodies of Lefty's style.